Saturday, December 10, 2016

"I who am your mother, I who am always close to you." Our Lady of Guadalupe

Welcome!

Advent Candle Lighting/Blessing

Michael Rigdon lights candle as Imogene leads prayer

Presider: Like our ancestors, we honor the cycles and the seasons
that remind us of the ever-changing flow of life of which we are a part. Ritual
acts give life meaning—they honor and acknowledge the web of life that connects
us all.

All:We light this third candle and
remember that in the heart of every person on this earth, and in all of
creation there burns the spark of luminous goodness - the presence of the
Divine.And
so we respond: Let us kindle the light of joy!

Presider: Indeed, let us welcome the light within each other.

Opening
song: #38

1. You
come, you come, Emmanuel,

You gather
all who stumbled and fell.

You share
your life, you share your love.

Your dawn
breaks forth in wondrous light above.

Refrain:
Rejoice, rejoice, O people of the earth!In God’s great love we comprehend our worth!

2. You come
with grace, O source of light,

You teach
us to find courage in the night.

Your way is
justice, mercy and peace,

Your wisdom
is the path to true release.

Refrain.

Opening Prayer. Presider:Nurturing God, you became human in Jesus and showed us
how to live life fully. You know what it means to laugh and cry, to walkand talk, to love and be loved. We know that
your mothering presence is always with us. May we, like Mary, rejoice as we
give birth to God within us, and may we give birth to God in everything we say
and do.ALL:Amen.

This is the Our Lady of Guadalupe
packet developed by Future Church, the same Catholic not-for-profit that
promotes the annual July feast of Mary of Magdala. They provide interesting
background information on this feast, a 485-year old tradition established
among indigenous Mexican people in early 16th century. Their background
information is based on a 1994 book by Jeannette Rodriguez. Several points
stood out for us:

1.The Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City
is the most frequently visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world.

2.For years the indigenous people had been conquered in
every way possible by Spanish invaders: Their population was decimated by war
and disease, their religious shrines were demolished, & they were subjected
to Spanish rule & conversion to Catholicism.

3.The Guadalupe tradition represented a way for the
indigenous people to recover important aspects of their religion and blend it
with the Spanish culture & Catholic religion.

4.Mary appeared to Juan Diego &; identified herself
as the Mother of the “God for whom one lives,” a principal name for their
divinity. And she asks Juan why he didn’t call on her when his uncle was at the
point of death, saying, “I who am your mother, I who am always close to you.”
This Guadalupe figure represented for Juan and his people the mother of their
God, and she recaptured for Juan and his people the intimacy and constant
protection provided by their male/female God.

5.This saying, “I who am your mother, I who am always
with you” is the phrase inscribed in the arch above the basilica’s front door.

Dialogue Homily

Profession
of Faith. ALL: We believe in God who is creator and nurturer of all. We
believe in Jesus, the Christ, who is our love, our hope, and our light. We
believe in the Holy Spirit, the breath of Wisdom Sophia, who energizes and
guides us to build caring communities and to challenge injustices.We believe in the communion of saints our
heavenly friends, who support us on life’s journey.We believe in the partnership and equality of
women and men in our church and world.We believe that all are one in the community of creation. We
believe that God calls us to live fully, love tenderly, and serve generously.Amen.

Community Petitions.

Presider: For a deeper coming of Christ in
our world, we pray.

Response:
Nurturing God,
hear us.

Presider: May we experience the coming
of God anew in our lives, we pray. R.Presider: May people who suffer from destitution & despair
experience the mothering comfort of God, we pray.R.

Presider: May the sick and suffering
receive the nurturing, healing love of God, we pray. R.

Presider: May those who have died rest
in God's eternal embrace, we pray.R.

(Other Intentions)

Offertory
Song: #345 Pan de Vida vs 1-3

Presider: Blessed are you, God of all
life, through your goodness we have bread, wine, all creation, and our own
lives to offer. Through this sacred meal may we become your new creation.

ALL:Blessed be God forever.

Presider: God is with you. ALL:
And also with
you. Presider: Lift up your hearts.ALL:We lift them up to God.Presider:Let us give
thanks to our God. All: Amen.

Eucharistic Prayer.

Women: Mothering God, you brought forth
all creation from your life-giving womb. O Love of the ages, we praise you and
leap for joy in your presence.

Men: Holy One of ancient Israel, you
revealed yourself in Mary's womb, in a shining star, in humble shepherds, in a
baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. You embrace us with infinite love in every
situation and relationship. You dwell in the depths of our hearts.

All: We invite you this day to
deepen our awareness of your boundless love as we gather around the table of
abundant life. With grateful hearts, we proclaim your praise:

ALL: Holy, Holy, Holy, Creator of
heaven and earth.All beings are
pregnant with your glory. Hosanna in the highest. Blessed are you who dwell in
all things. Hosanna in the Highest.

Women: Praise to you, all-giving God,
born of Mary. You are the body and blood of woman. We glorify you, nurturing
God for the dawning of the sacred promise of God's Anointed, fulfilled in
Jesus, the Christ.

Men: We celebrate the birth of
Jesus, our newborn Emmanuel, who came to give us the fullness of life. During
this holy season we share the bread of freedom and lift the cup of
salvation.

All (with hand extended to invoke the Spirit):Come Holy Spirit deepen your Presence within
us and in these gifts of bread and wine, that they may become the Body of
Christ.

As Jesus
gave birth to the new covenant, he took bread, gave thanks, broke the bread,
and shared it with all those present saying: Take this all of you and eat it.
This is my body. (pause) Then Jesus took a cup of wine, blessed you,
loving God, shared the cup with all those present saying: Take this all of you
and drink from the covenant, poured out for you and for everyone. Do this in
memory of me.

Presider:Let us proclaim the sacred presence of our
nurturing God:

ALL: Christ, by your life, death and
rising, you have blessed us with abundance that will never end.

Second Invocation of the Spirit: All (with hand on next person’s
shoulder): God of all people, you call us "beloved." Give us courage to accept your faith in us and to
live your compassion in the world. You infuse us with Sophia, Holy Wisdom, to
serve you in the last and the least.

Women: As
we wait with joyful hearts for the fulfillment of your loving presence in our lives,
we remember the prophet, martyrs and saints who have gone before us: Deborah,
Isaiah, Mary of Magdala, Peter, Oscar Romero, Maura Clark, Dorothy Kazel, Jean
Donovan, Ita Ford, and all those we remember as heroes and heroines in our
church who inspire us today. (Community names mentors they want to remember,
living and dead.)

Men: God of our dreams, may we give
birth to the Word made flesh in us everyday. May we give birth to the church of
our dreams and hopes. May we give birth to a deep reverence for earth and live
in harmony with all creatures on the earth.

ALL: Through Christ, with Christ, in Christ, all praise and glory are
yours, Holy God, through the power of the Spirit. Amen.

ALL: Our Father and Mother….

Sign of Peace. Presider:Let us join hands and hearts and pray for peace in our world
as we sing “Let there be peace on earth” #532

Litany for the breaking of bread.

ALL:Loving God, you
call us to speak truth to power. We will do so. Loving God, you call us to live
the Gospel of peace and justice.We will
do so. Loving God, you call us to be your presence in the world. We will do so.

Presider: This is Jesus, Emmanuel, God
with us, loving us forever. All are invited to partake of this sacred banquet
of love.ALL:May we be who we are, the Body
of Christ.

Presider:Let us share the Body of Christ with the Body
of Christ!ALL:Amen.

Prayer after Communion. Presider:God of new beginnings, thank you for nourishing us in
your sacrament. May your tender presence continue to open our hearts to the daily
miracles of life that surround us each day, through Emmanuel, God-with-us.

ALL: Amen.

Thanksgiving/Intros/Announcements

Final Blessing. ALL (with hand extended in prayer):May our loving God fill us with radiant
joy.May our liberating God fill us with
deep peace, and may our loving God bless us always with strength to serve the
broken and excluded. Amen.

Presider: Let us birth Christ anew in
our world today. Go in the peace of Christ.